Castle Keep Ch. 05

Chapter 05: The Forgotten Sons

Danielle purposefully stopped at each vendor, carefully examining the vegetables. The goods they offered were loaded on two-wheeled hollow wooden carts and they readily pitched the products. It had been a good harvest, she decided, for there was abundance and much of it looked very appealing.

Men noticed her presence, for she was unusually beautiful. She had long black hair, striking green eyes, a lovely face, and a slender, shapely form that her clothing could not conceal. This young woman was a familiar icon in the village for it was her home, unlike others that simply drifted through.

Others had noticed her as well, in particular Lord Chadwick. He ruled with an iron fist and had earned the fear and respect of every subject in the province, be it man, woman, or child. There was no shortage of rumors surrounding him.

The Chadwick family had controlled the surrounding land and villages for five generations, and each son that took the place of the father was nearly identical in appearance. At one time a villager claimed that there were no sons and Chadwick himself had ruled for that period of time and would continue to do so, but the whispers died along with its purveyor.

Once walking past the food vendors, she paused at the blacksmith's shop. She watched as he heated what would become a sword, placed it on an anvil, and pounded on it with a heavy hammer. He had immensely powerful arms, and she was impressed by the sheer size of the muscles. His smoke-streaked skin was wet, shimmering with perspiration. The blacksmith felt her eyes on him, glanced up, and smiled at her. She smiled back, as she always did.

Danielle had been of marrying age for several years, but the seemingly endless conflicts with bordering provinces had claimed the lives of many of the village's young men. It was disheartening for a young woman who yearned for love and to raise a family of her own. These were dark times indeed.

The sound of heavy hooves approaching from the north caught Danielle's attention. She stopped, turned, and watched as six horses came into view, two each side by side. The first four carried mounted guards, undoubtedly from Lord Chadwick's castle. The lead guard on the left carried a flag bearing the Lord's crest which confirmed her suspicions.

The last two horses pulled a small, enclosed horse-drawn carriage. The passage of the animals stirred up a cloud of dust on the narrow dirt road in their wake, which resettled after their passing. She unsure why, but the sight of them made the dark hair on the back of her neck stand up as a dreadful chill coursed through her flesh.

The lead rider on the right dismounted and approached a vegetable vendor. Several words were exchanged but the gesture of the vendor and apparent anger on the face of the guard made it clear that the vendor was unable to provide whatever request the guard had made. In retaliation the guard overturned the cart of food, and as the vendor scrambled to recover his valuable goods a drawn sword was thrust through the back of his chest. As blood streamed from the corpse, muddying the earth, the soldier placed his right foot on the dead man's shoulder and removed the blade from his lifeless flesh.

When the next vendor was approached, fear filled his eyes. Even before the question was posed he pointed in Danielle's direction, and after he did the guard indicated that he could claim the property of his deceased competitor as his own in payment for his cooperation.

Upon realizing where he had pointed, Danielle's green eyes nervously glanced around and saw no others nearby. Her mind raced in confusion as the strong, stout, armed man advanced and rapidly closed the distance between them. She saw the vile look of evil intent in his eyes as they locked onto her, and the vicious grin that appeared on his face.

"I have done nothing wrong!" she pleaded with him as she extended both arms in a defensive posture. "Please, you must believe me!"

Her hands feebly attempted to push him away. He laughed as her fists battered against the heavy steel chest armor, succeeding only in bruising her own flesh. The guard sheathed his sword and grabbed onto both of her wrists. The young woman squirmed with all her strength but there was no escaping his powerful grasp. He easily kicked the feet out from under her and she helplessly collapsed to the ground.

Danielle was frightened and disoriented as she hit the dirt at his feet, struggling for breath as dust filled her mouth and lungs. She broke out in a fit of coughing and desperately glanced at her fellow villagers, the strong blacksmith in particular as she sought help that would not be forthcoming.

She cried out as her arms were painfully twisted behind her back. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized where she would be taken and, in all likelihood, would never return from. She longed to see her family one last time and frantically screamed out for them despite knowing they could not hear.

"No, no, you cannot!" she pleaded, frightened eyes staring fearfully at the horrifying sight as shackles were brought forward. "Please do not do this, you must not! I have done nothing wrong!"

The heavy iron shackles were placed around her wrists and pinned shut, heart sinking as the last fading hope of rescue dimmed and disappeared altogether. Her body collapsed on the edge of the road and vibrated as she sobbed uncontrollably. Danielle lamented over a life lost before it ever truly began, grieving for the children she would never have, and for the family left behind.

In a final act of defiance she gathered all the energy she possessed and furiously rolled on the ground, wildly kicking her feet and struggling against the shackles even as they chafed her wrists. When her strength was gone she lay on her side in a fetal position, tears streaming down her face and onto the ground.

"Are you done?" the guard asked in a humorous voice as he leaned down and lifted Danielle roughly to her feet by the hair.

She shrieked loudly, both in pain and protest. Her efforts were rewarded by a sharp slap across the face that knocked her back down, this time to the knees. The second time when she was lifted to her feet by the hair she grimaced and softly whimpered but caused no scene. Danielle shuffled her feet in the direction he led her in silent surrender, knowing in her heart that all was lost. She stopped as he opened the carriage door and helped her in before sitting directly across from her.

"If you do as you aretold you will be released soon enough," the man spoke.

His hand slapped the side of the carriage and it started with a rough jerk that jostled her unprepared form. She lived in one of the farthest outlying villages and knew it would be some time before they reached the castle, if that was indeed their destination. Danielle held nothing but contempt for her captors and did not believe any of their empty promises.

He lunged for Danielle, pulling her from the seat and spinning her around, sitting her upon his left knee facing away from him. Her wrists once more struggled against the shackles in vain as he successfully separated the top of her clothing and reached his right hand inside. The brutal man laughed in a deep voice as she helplessly shifted and squirmed. He was the first to touch her bare breasts; his dirt and bloodstained hands were reviling to her as they lifted and squeezed on a silky soft swell and prodded the nipple that shamelessly hardened.

"I have done nothing wrong!" she repeated her earlier proclamation. "Why am I being treated in this shameful manner?"

"You have done one thing wrong," he revealed. "You have struck the fancy of the Lord, and he sent us to fetch you."

"I am not the first, am I? Other young women have disappeared from the village, never to be seen from again." There was no point in hiding her suspicions any longer. Her destiny was sealed the moment she was singled out by the frightened vendor. In her eyes he was blameless and she felt no ill will toward him, but Lord Chadwick and his soldiers were a different matter entirely.

"You shall share the same fate as the others before you, and more shall follow in your wake," he confirmed. "You will please the Lord for as long as he fancies, and then be relegated to the stable. Few last long there. If you know what is good for you, you will start by pleasing me now. In exchange I shall protect you from the others when the time comes."

"Why would I please an animal like you?" she questioned in a hateful voice and with a scowl on her otherwise pretty face. "Why should I believe your wicked lies?"

"Because I am the captain of the guard, and as such I accompany Lord Chadwick into the dungeon. It is where he first takes his women to break their spirit... once broken they are much more compliant. He watches as I wield the tools of torture. Displease me and you shall suffer in agony beyond your worst nightmare."

His left hand grasped her head, moved it towards him, and kissed her full lips. She initially resisted and wrested her head away. When his angry, evil eyes looked directly into hers, they were like windows into his very soul. Danielle saw blood-curdling visions of naked women in various stages of torture, and could hear their unbridled wails of terrible pain and humiliation. Her heart momentarily stopped in fear and she gasped aloud in dread.

"I will please you," she whispered in desperation, for it was the one last hope that remained.

His lips formed a bone-chilling smile before his mouth returned to hers. Despite the stench of death on his body and foul breath, her sweet lips parted, tongue joining with his in repulsive intimacy. For her the taste of his saliva was gruesome, but for him hers was wondrous and almost immediately the flesh sword swelled beneath his clothing. Both hands reached inside of hers to fondle those succulent mounds. He roughly pinched on the swollen tips, delighting as her body squirmed on his lap and she groaned into his mouth.

The carriage violently rocked on the uneven road and tossed their bodies from side to side. The reluctant kissing continued unabated, the frightening images in his evil eyes motivating Danielle to give him all he desired. Once beyond the village wild grass had grown high between the wheel ruts and the insistent thump-thump of thick brush striking the bottom of the carriage drowned out the revolting grunts of pleasure that the Captain occasionally uttered.

Within a couple of kilometers his excitement outgrew the kissing and fondling. His mouth withdrew from hers and he anxiously pushed Danielle onto the floor of the carriage on her knees. She was innocent but fully mature, so she was aware what was expected, although she had never before engaged in such scandalous activity.

The visions she had observed in his eyes encouraged Danielle to loosen his trousers and greet his hardened man-sword with a welcome kiss on the straining, reddish-purple tip. Oddly, the smell and taste of his weapon was less revolting than that which emanated from the rest of him. Sheathing half his sword between her lips and mouth and teasing him with her tongue, although shameful, was somehow less disgusting. And it was not blood that oozed from the tip but thick milky seed that she would rather have perish in her belly than have any chance at all of reproducing inside of her womb.

"Yes, eat well, you will need all of the food you can get where you are headed," he jeered as she swallowed the little that had leaked out. "Don't be bashful. Drain me of all I have and I shall be your ally when you are most in need."

It was not her fear of him that encouraged her, but the unlikely hope that she would have one last chance to see her beloved family. Danielle no longer hoped for her own life to be spared, realizing her fate was already sealed. But one brief glimpse of her siblings, certainly this was not an outlandish request for all she had and would endure?

Tears of sadness formed in her eyes, rolled down her rosy cheeks before spilling onto his detestable crotch as her unskilled mouth consumed him. She shuddered with disgust as his body twitched and grunted in delight. Recalling his promise, as detestable as the task was, she drank down the seemingly endless flood of hot semen when it was dispensed in powerful bursts.

Hopelessness embraced her after the repulsive deed was finished. Her mind questioned why she had agreed to what she had done, and she feared what waited. Danielle's green eyes looked up, uncertain what was next, when he motioned for her to continue. She glanced down at his sword that was now more like a dagger, but at his insistence placed it back into her warm mouth to reluctantly lick and suck on the root, and after a time it swelled, returning to its former size. They were still quite a distance from the castle and much time remained.

As the small caravan persisted her eyes closed and her mouth resumed its deplorable duties. Her head arose and descended, lips feeling every bump and groove of the shaft and the throbbing vein that maintained his size. Her moving tongue teased the bulbous head, tasting the salty discharge and reluctantly adding it to the rest that filled her nauseated stomach.

His grimy hands caressed the top and back of her head, bloodstained fingers sifting through the long silky black strands of her hair. And as all of this occurred, her mouth licked and sucked on the upper portion of his immense sword as his expended sacs refilled with life-bearing seed.

She glanced up periodically at the Captain. He was leaning back, completely relaxed, his bloodshot eyes closed or on the verge of doing so. The summer sun was beating down on the carriage top, warming the interior. A breeze entered the vehicle and moved his dark hair, but she received none of its benefits in her position. Beads of perspiration formed on her brow as her body grew uncomfortably warm.

Saliva, mixed with his detestable seed, dripped from the corners of her succulent mouth and chin. After a time her mouth began to tire. This second time he was lasting much longer and the effort required to please him was significant. The mixture rolled off her chin and down the center of her long, soft neck in a tiny rivulet.

A soldier guided his horse alongside and interacted with the Captain. Danielle did not hear the verbal exchange but sensed that time was running short, for the carriage slowed and then stopped. He suddenly became much more animated and involved in the pursuit of his own pleasure at this point.

His left hand quickened the bobbing of her head while his hips pushed up and down in rhythm, moving his sword both faster and deeper than before. His right hand reached down and cupped her left breast, roughly squeezing on the firm, soft mound, while tugging on the swollen nipple.

The combination was apparently enough for him, because moments later his body stiffened and twitched, and again flooded her mouth with hot semen. She swallowed and kept stimulating his flesh sword, and twice more he ejaculated. When he was finished he pushed her aside to cover himself before stepping out of the carriage.

"Where do you think you are going?" the Captain challenged the arrival of another guard.

"To have a little piece of her before Chadwick gets what is left."

"Stay away."

"But I am your Lieutenant! Certainly that should be accompanied by some privileges!" the younger man argued.

The Captain relented. "Be quick about it."

Through the open door Danielle noticed that the carriage had stopped alongside a calm, crystal clear stream. The water looked so inviting. She gazed at it longingly as her tears resumed flowing, for she had not expected to see such a simple, beautiful sight again. Wildflowers grew near the bank and she briefly enjoyed their contrasting colors until the body of the Lieutenant blocked the open doorway.

"Please, no," she begged him, frantically nodding her head from side to side, but even as she uttered the words she sensed the futility of resistance. "I have done nothing wrong to deserve this. You must know this."

He reached inside, grabbed a handful of her long black hair, and pulled her across the bottom of the carriage. Placing his beautiful young captive on her, all her eyes could see was his crotch, the blue sky, and the leafy branches of a nearby tree.

Danielle tried to concentrate on the sky and leafy branches, but instead her gaze was drawn to the rough, dirty hands that reached down and guided the fleshy dagger into her view. He held the base and pressed the round, dark red tip against her lips. They reluctantly parted as he pushed his semi-erect member inside, quietly sighing in approval as she began licking and sucking on his stem and bathing his flesh in warm saliva.

He leaned over her and pushed her loosened clothing open until both breasts were revealed before snidely admitting, "You are far too beautiful for that bastard Chadwick. I am enormously envious given this glorious sight."

He filled his hands with the upright globes to gently savor the soft warmth and texture of her luxurious flesh. His thumbs toyed with both nipples and as he did his flesh grew into a sword worthy of a fierce warrior. Her mouth could only comfortably handle half its length, but this did not keep his moving hips from forcing slightly more inside of the hot, wet orifice. He throbbed excitedly against her lips and tongue as the tip leaked seed which mixed with her saliva.

In her position the only thing that she could see was the steady motion of the underside of his member framed by blue sky. It became hypnotic after a time, almost relaxing despite the reviling nature of the act. As the saliva and leaking semen filled her mouth Danielle allowed it to drip from the edges of her mouth instead of swallowing.

Due to her orientation it ran down the sides of her cheeks beneath the ears and either soaked into the black hair or dripped onto the ground, depending on its direction of travel. Ordinarily she would have been horrified, but Danielle no longer cared, so hopeless had she become.

"Hurry up, she needs to wash up!" the Captain's voice impatiently barked.

The Lieutenant moved his hips faster in response while her tired mouth licked and sucked harder. It took another minute or more, but as his body tensed and jerked, he emptied his seed in a thick, steady stream which overfilled her mouth. As Danielle gagged on the semen his hips kept driving, thrusting further back where he squirted the final stream into her throat. Choking, she was forced to clear her mouth and grimaced as the majority was ingested. Once finished he promptly withdrew.

"Bring her with you!" the Captain's voice commanded.

The Lieutenant lifted her from the carriage, placed their captive on her feet, and guided her to the water's edge. The Captain took over from this point and guided her towards the center of the stream where the water was waist deep, removing a pin from one shackle. Danielle used the opportunity to rinse her hair, face, and neck, cleanse the smudges of dirt off her breasts, and rinse her mouth with fresh water several times. She cupped her hands and drank all that she could stomach, not knowing when she might next receive a ration of it.

"Come on, time to go," he prodded her after securing the loosened shackle.

When Danielle turned she froze in terror. From her vantage point she could see a tall stone tower above the tree line and realized how close they were to the castle and all the horrors that waited. It caused her to cry out in sadness for all that was lost by her wrongfully forced imprisonment and probable torture.

Growing frustrated he propelled her forward in the direction of the carriage. She was tempted to run, but there would be little point. She would be chased down quickly enough and only waste in the form of sweat the precious water that was yet still in her system.